Acid Flowers
by shalom378
Summary: After Rhine left, Linden takes another wife as a replacement- but she comes with a load of heartbreak and shadowy secrets. A continuation form Wither.


_I stumble in the thick black darkness, trying to reach the glowing light up ahead. The source turns out to be a rusty lantern, the flickering flame of the candle illuminating the form of Housemaster Vaughn. I'm frozen in place as he slides a burning circle of metal on my ring finger and whispers, "Magdalene Vaughn. My wife." Something warm drips onto my bare foot. I look down, and find I'm covered in a warm, sticky substance. Blood._

_"There's no escape, Maggie."_

I throw myself upright, shaking and covered in sweat. It has been a whole week since my marriage to Linden Ashby, but my nightmares are only escalating. I slide out of bed and wrap myself in a fluffy blue robe, then open my door and cross the hall to Jenna's room. "Jenna?" I call softly. Technically, we aren't supposed to enter each other's rooms with permission, but I go in anyway. Jenna lies on her side in bed, her dark brown hair spilling across the pillow. I crawl onto the bed and lean back against the headboard, hugging my knees to my chin. "Couldn't sleep?" she murmurs, her eyes still closed. I sigh and ask, "Jenna, what life did you have before here?" Her eyes snap open, and I'm afraid I've crossed a line when she says softly, "Tallahassee. It was beautiful. Me and my sisters-" her voice catches but she keeps going- "we would gather wildflowers for my mother on our way home from school." She pauses, a faint smile on her lips, then sits up and asks, "What about you, Maggie?" I shut my eyes and he's instantly there- his soft embrace surrounding me, his lips brushing my forehead. Tears prick my eyes, and I whisper, "I was married." Two trails of tears run down my cheeks, and I choke on my words. "Toby. We were only married for a month when- the Gatherer-" I can't finish. Jenna puts her arm around me and I lean my head on her shoulder. "You're so young… how ever were you married before Linden?" She asks softly, stroking my hair. I slowly sit up, smiling through my tears. "We were married by a family pastor in the name of true love. He was… _is _seventeen, and I'm fifteen." I take a deep breath and await Jenna's words, but she's strangely quiet, twirling a strand of her hair around a slender finger. We sit like this until there's a knock at the bedroom door, and Gabriel enters with two trays. He flashes us a smile and sets the plates on the bedside table. "I thought there might be a sleepover in here." Gabriel uncovers the plates and leaves, and the smell of toast and eggs waft into my senses. I suddenly feel queasy. Jenna turns to me and asks, "Are you okay? You're really pale. Do you-" I barely make it to the attached bathroom before my stomach clenches and my body empties itself of last night's dinner. Jenna comes in as I'm finishing and hands me a toothbrush, then wipes my head with a cool cloth. I don't protest when she gently pulls me to my feet and leads me back to my own bed, then tucks the covers around my chattering teeth. A black fog is creeping into my vision, and I start to drift away. I can feel Jenna shaking my shoulder, then frantic voices and footsteps. But they're so far away, and I succumb to the enfolding black cloud.

_ A young blonde girl lies on a blanket in a grassy field, her head resting on the chest of the young boy lying beside her. "Three more days until our wedding," the boy muses with a smile. The girl grins and says playfully, "Don't worry, I'm planning on eloping much sooner than that." He laughs, then reaches down and starts to tickle the girl underneath her rib cage. She giggles and squirms, then jumps up and runs down the grassy knoll, the boy bounding after her in the tall green grass. The girl splashes into a little creek at the bottom of the slope, and when the boy comes within a few feet she skims the water's surface with her hand and sends a shimmering column of water towards his chest. It soaks the front of his tee shirt, and he stops for a moment, stunned, then rushes towards the girl and scoops her up. Her skirt billows in the breeze and water drips off her feet as her slim form is cradled by the boy. They stay like this for a few moments, her arms around his neck and the boy's forehead touching hers. "I love you," she whispers. The boy smiles softly and says,_

_"I love you too, Maggie." _

My head feels thick and heavy when I push myself to a sitting position. A little gasp comes from my right, and I whip around to find Cecily sitting on a chair beside my bed, leaning over her heavily pregnant stomach to grab my hand. "Oh, Maggie, you're awake! How are you? I was so scared! How do you feel? Do you want anything?" she says in a voice squeaky with worry. I rub my eyes and take a deep breath, wincing as my head screams in pain. "What… happened? Why do I feel so sick?" Cecily's face splits into a rare grin, and she opens her mouth to respond when my helper, Sobe, comes in. "Miss Cecily, it's time for you to go now. I need to talk with Magdalene." Cecily gets up huffily and walks- well, more like waddles- out the door. Sobe crosses over to my dresser and begins straightening the various brushes and cosmetics. I watch her face, the wrinkling at the corners of her eyes revealing she is a First Generation in her early forties. In this whole house, she is the one I have taken real affection to; she understands me and has showed much kindness to me. Sobe quietly walks over and sits in the chair beside my bed, then finds my hand in the folds of the sheets. "Maggie…" she starts, then looks away. My heart rises in my throat, but I swallow it down and ask calmly, "Sobe, what's wrong with me?" She looks up, startled, then asks, "Why didn't you tell me?" I had no doubt she knew something that I didn't. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming, and let out a strangled, "Tell you _what_?"  
Sobe reaches up and gently cups my chin in her hand.

"Honey, you're pregnant."

_Soft rays of golden sunlight spill through the curtains and onto the bed. The girl stretches, then leans over and plants a kiss on the boy's lips. When she pulls back, he smiles dreamily. "Well good morning to you, too." The girl flops back down and says sulkily, "It's not a good morning. How can it be when I'm going to be alone here all day? Can't you tell them you're sick?" He smiles sadly and says, "I don't think they'd care. And besides, you won't be all alone. I'm sending Mrs. Granville to check in on you." The girl sticks out her lower lip, pouting adorably. "But Mrs. Granville smells funny and she always asks if I'm ready for alien invasions." The boy chuckles, then kisses the girl goodbye and throws on his coat. "See you tonight!" Then he's gone. The girl lays in bed for a few moments, hugging the comforter to her chest, a smile playing at her lips. The front door creaks, and she sits up. "Mrs. Granville?" she calls out. Then the bedroom door swings open, and a scream escapes the girl's lips. A tall, massive man stands in the doorway, carrying a knife and a small towel soaked in and dripping a potent liquid onto the wood flooring. The girl fumbles at her bedside table, and succeeds in yanking the lamp from its socket. She's just about to launch it into the man's face when he takes three giant strides towards her and clamps the wet towel over her mouth and nose. The girl struggles, but within moments her eyes droop and she falls back against the covers. The man folds the towel and slings the girl's still form over his shoulder. As he walks out the door, he mutters roughly, _

_"Time to meet the future, girlie."_

I jerk my face away from Sobe's gentle touch and cover my mouth to keep the awful sobs from coming out. A flash of anger courses through me, and I whisper, "That's not funny, Sobe." Her eyes widen, and she says, "Maggie, I thought you knew, I thought-" I rip back the covers and grab my coat off the chair, then run out the door. I don't slow down, even when I bump into Jenna running through the main hall. She looks shocked, then takes my shoulders. "There you are! What's wrong?" My eyes fill with tears and I pull out of her grasp, making for the front door. I burst out into fresh air, the sun covered by dark clouds. I stop for a moment, taking in the serene beauty of the forest ahead of me. Then I run. Ignoring the branches slicing at my cheeks, the sharp pinecones digging into my bare feet, the chilling wind whipping through my nightgown, I run. I remember the hushed stories of a girl a month ago, who broke through the barricades of this garden and ran to freedom with her love. I could do it. But right now, I just want to get away. Away from Sobe and Jenna and Cecily and Linden and the alarms going off in that awful house of lies. I finally run out of breath, slumping against a pine tree, my heart pumping furiously. A branch cracks in the distance, and I'm instantly on alert. I hear Linden calling my name frantically, so I wriggle under a pine bush and flatten myself to the ground, trying to slow my breathing. I watch in annoyance as a pair of boots come into view just a few feet from my hiding spot. "Magdalene? Magdalene!" Linden shouts. A drop of water splashes onto the dirt in front of me, and I realize in shock that tears are falling from Linden. Conflicting emotions flash through me, and I take a deep breath before I crawl out and face my captor. Linden's young face breaks into a relieved smile, and he steps forward and gives me a tight hug. "I thought I'd lost you," he whispers. I squeeze my eyes shut as his arms encircle me, remembering too well the soft touch of Toby's hands. Linden pulls back and holds me at arm's length, then notices my tears. "Let's go to the pavilion and talk." He puts his arm around my waist and leads me to a small clearing a few yards away, revealing a white pavilion with a swinging bench in the middle. He sits down, then pats the place next to him. I sit, feeling like a small schoolgirl in trouble with the schoolmaster. "Maggie-" He stops, then turns toward me and takes my hand. "What is this all about?" I have a choice- lie unconvincingly, or tell the truth and get in more trouble. I choose the latter- what do I have left to lose? So I tell him everything. My nightmare, my other life, Toby… and finally the grand finale. I have no idea how to put it to him lightly, and he deserves the full story. "Linden- I'm pregnant." His lips turn upward in a grin, then drop again as he realizes the full meaning. "From…" he says faintly. "Toby," I finish for him. His face pales, and he stands with his back to me, staring out into the setting sun. I stare at my hands clenched in my lap. "You can throw me out now. I'm probably better off away from here," I say quietly. Linden turns around and sinks on one knee in front of me, taking both of my hands in his. "No- you will stay. I will claim the baby as my own, you won't be found out by anyone." My eyes fill with tears, and this time I don't feel any guilt when he pulls me to him for a hug. "Thank you," I whisper into his coat. He tilts my face so I'm staring into his eyes. He frowns and says, "You're cold." I realize I'm shivering, so he puts his warm leather coat around my shoulders. I pull it to me, breathing in the warm and familiar musk of pine and clean white soap. "Your feet are all cut up," he observes, and before I can protest, he has me gently cradled in his arms, taking long strides through the forest. My tears drip onto his coat as I hang on to his neck- I can't help remembering when Toby carried me like this. When we reach the front gates, the place is in a flurry. Ten or so guards are standing in a straight line


End file.
